To put Venus' -4.4 apparent magnitude in perspective, look to Sirius, the brightest (actual) star in the sky, which only shines at a magnitude of around -1.6 (a full moon clocks in around -12.6).

The lower (or more negative) the magnitude, the brighter the planet appears to the naked eye. For reference, the sun has an apparent magnitude of -26.7 (too bright to look at directly), while the ...

Leavitt discovered 2,400 variable stars ... Yet magnitude itself allowed you to calculate distance. Leavitt published her findings in 1912 -- in a chart of 25 cepheid periods and their apparent ...

You’d think such a bright object would be apparent immediately ... Actually, the best way to find it is to use three 1st-magnitude stars — but they’re not in Cancer. First, find the ...

(NOTE: Planets will appear as bright stars in the sky. You will not see definition unless viewed through a telescope.) For reference, the sun has an apparent magnitude of -26.7 (too bright to look ...